


february - i said i love you and that's forever

by woodchoc_magnum



Series: you can tell everybody this is your song [10]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Angst, Bullying, Christopher Diaz is a National Treasure, Drama, Established Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Christopher Diaz, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Protective Eddie Diaz, Protective Evan "Buck" Buckley, Soft Eddie Diaz, Worried Firefam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:00:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26139298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/woodchoc_magnum/pseuds/woodchoc_magnum
Summary: Eddie could always get the truth out of him with a little eye contact – it worked on Buck too, like a charm – so he reached out, cupped his fingers under Christopher's chin, and turned his face towards him. Once their eyes met, he said quietly, "You don't have to go through this alone."And that was enough to make Christopher burst into tears – he let out a sob, reaching his hands out, and Eddie knelt on the floor and enfolded him in a hug. A moment later, Buck's arms were around them both.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: you can tell everybody this is your song [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1816843
Comments: 96
Kudos: 549





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warning/spoiler alert - Christopher breaks his arm at school. Just putting that right at the top so no one is shocked - he's going to be FINE. I PROMISE. There's fluff at the end to make up for the beginning, I swear!

"Buckley, Roberts, what's your location?"

"Second floor gangway," Buck replied, breathing heavily, and fogging up his mask. "Second storey is clear; we're heading out now."

"Copy that."

They were making their way through the upper level of a warehouse near the wharf, where an industrial fire had been raging below. Buck was on hour eighteen of a 24-hour shift - he was tired, following behind Jeff along a metal gangway. He'd been working part-time with the second shift for the last few weeks, covering for one of the guys who was out on medical leave. The first twelve hours of his shift had been with Eddie and Hen – Chimney was out on paternity leave – but he then had to stick around with a group of people who weren't his favourite, and he wasn't theirs, either.

Jeff came over the radio. "Heading down the north stairs now."

Buck watched him, still about thirty feet behind – the gangway itself wasn't looking particularly stable, and while the fire was out in this section of the warehouse, there was debris strewn beneath them on the warehouse floor and smoke billowing out.

He radioed Jeff and asked, "Is the gangway secure?"

"I made it, didn't I?" Jeff replied shortly.

Buck swore under his breath. Jeff Roberts was an asshole – had been ever since Buck had first met him. Thankfully, they didn't have to work together (much), but if he'd been at this fire with Eddie, Chim or Hen – they would've made it through together. Jeff had just headed off without him.

Buck started along the gangway again, testing each step before putting his full weight down. He was about three quarters of the way across when the metal screeched, and suddenly he was free-falling onto the cement below, landing heavily on his right side, the shock reverberating through his body.

He heard someone shout from the entrance as he lifted his head, dazed, trying to figure out how badly he was injured. Sharp pain spread through his back and down his legs, and when he sat up, he realised he was about five feet from impaling himself on a jagged wooden spike.

"You okay, Buck?" Vasquez asked him, dropping to her feet at his side. "You hurt?"

He shook his head. "I'm fine."

"That was a hard fall, man," she said, helping him to his feet. "Let's get out of here."

Outside, Buck spotted Jeff leaning against the engine and ripped his mask and helmet off, stomping over to him. "Hey man, maybe you could've told me that the gangway was broken."

Jeff gave him a withering look. "It wasn't when I got across it. Not my fault you weren’t paying attention."

"Way to take responsibility, dude," he said bitterly. "We're meant to be looking out for each other, aren't we?"

"Hey – it's not my job to hold your hand," Jeff shot back. "Maybe _Eddie_ does that for you, but when you work with us, you're on your own."

"Fuck you," Buck snapped, storming away, his back on fire. _Fucking asshole._

~~

It was an unusually chilly Los Angeles evening. Eddie and Christopher were at the dining room table together, trying to work through Christopher's math homework (not Eddie's strong suit), but neither of them was too interested in the work itself. Christopher was uncharacteristically quiet – even Carla had commented on it – and Eddie was checking his watch, waiting for Buck to get home. Buck was better at homework than he was.

"So you had a good day at school?" he prodded Christopher, trying to get him to open up. "What'd you guys get up to today?"

Christopher heaved a sigh, flipping the page in his book. "It was fine."

He'd gotten into Buck's bad habit of just saying that things were fine when they really weren't, and Eddie was going to press him on it when the front door banged open, and the tell-tale sound of Buck kicking off his shoes echoed through the house.

"Hey," Eddie called to him. "How was work?"

"Fine." Buck sounded abnormally subdued.

Again with the _fine_. Eddie was instantly concerned, waiting expectantly for Buck to stop in and greet them – but instead he disappeared down the hall, and the bedroom door shut firmly. Eddie exchanged a concerned look with Christopher and rose to his feet. "I'll go check on him; you keep working."

Buck had been rostered on for extra shifts with the second shift crew and was on his third 24-hour shift in ten days, which was unusual. Usually they averaged about one a week, but Buck's roster had changed substantially in the last few weeks. The extra money was nice, but Eddie was tired of lying awake alone at night, worrying about him, and texting him at 3am to make sure he was okay.

Eddie let himself into the bedroom and found Buck shirtless at the mirror, side-on, examining his reflection. There was a noticeable bruise on the right side of his body, over his ribs, and Eddie let the door fall shut as he hissed, "What is that?"

"I fell." Buck's voice was flat. "Nearly got impaled on a wooden spike as well."

"What?!"

"Yep." His lips twisted into a scowl. "Nothing's broken."

"What happened?" Eddie demanded, joining him at the mirror, turning him to the side to examine the angry-looking bruise.

"Industrial fire at the wharf in a big warehouse; I fell from the second-floor landing to the ground. Jeff didn't tell me that the floor was weakened. He lied to the Captain and said that he didn't know I was following him, even though we were in radio contact the whole time. Fucking asshole," he spat. "He made it seem like it was my fault and Captain Stevens agreed with him."

"We'll talk to Bobby tomorrow."

"What's the fucking point?" Buck exploded, yanking out of his grasp, raking his hands through his hair. "I feel like I'm killing myself for this job and I'm so fucking _exhausted_. I don't want to talk to Bobby about it; I just want things to go back to the way they were. Nobody else has had their schedule fucked with the way mine is! You know he's still punishing me, right?"

Eddie gave him a concerned look. Buck was agitated, practically shaking. "Baby," he said gently. "We're going to sort this out."

"We haven't had any time alone together in weeks," Buck practically moaned, leaning on the dresser, eyes filled with tears. "I'm so tired. I'm exhausted. Eddie… I just… I don't know what to do; I can't do this anymore. I can't be strong anymore. I'm done."

"Sit down on the bed," Eddie said quietly, taking his hand, leading him to the bed. "Sit here. Let me take care of you."

Buck nodded miserably, sighing when Eddie gave him a gentle kiss. "I miss you."

He wanted to say that they were together all the time – and they mostly were – but he understood what Buck meant. He missed it too, the privacy, the alone time, away from all their responsibilities. Buck's apartment had been a safe haven, but they didn't have that luxury anymore.

He dropped kisses to Buck's face, peppering his closed eyelids and cheeks. "I'm going to get our long weekend," he said quietly but firmly. "He owes us."

"Okay."

"I promise."

"It's okay if you can't." Buck lay down gingerly on the bed, closing his eyes. "I'm tired anyway. I've been working my ass off."

He thought back, trying to remember the last full weekend Buck had off. "It's… how long has it been?"

"Since the pot brownie. I haven't had two days off in a row in three weeks, my lower back hurts, and my hips… and my leg is really giving me hell. I'm fucked, Eds."

"You haven't said anything," he murmured.

"I didn't want you to worry. We've got Chris to worry about; I didn't want… to be an extra burden." Buck threw an arm over his eyes.

That was true – they had been focused on Christopher, who was still unhappy. There thankfully hadn't been any further talk about sex, but one day he'd come home and asked to watch the _Kingsman_ movies, becoming very upset when Eddie had refused (on the grounds of the copious amounts of sex and violence). One of the kids in his class – and Eddie had his suspicion as to _who_ – was a bad fucking influence, and Christopher was miserable.

"Just wait here," Eddie said to Buck, who heaved a sigh in response. He went out to the kitchen to retrieve an icepack and a copy of their roster, and then grabbed a tube of Icy Hot from the bathroom. When he returned, Buck was sitting up, his shoulders hunched.

Eddie sat down beside him and examined the roster. "You've worked… fuck. You've worked almost every day for three weeks. You had a day off last week."

"Sounds about right."

"You definitely didn't tell Bobby that you wanted more shifts, did you?"

"No, I asked him if he could cut me some slack, and he said that he wasn't doing it out of spite." Buck paused, and then added, "But I think he is."

Eddie kissed his cheek, already formulating a plan. "We'll figure it out. Let me look you over, all right? You take the night off; get some rest. No cooking. I'll take care of you."

"I can still cook dinner," he complained, but dropped his head onto Eddie's shoulder and mumbled, "Maybe not."

"No, maybe not." Eddie gave his back a gentle, reassuring rub.

He set about nursing Buck as best he could – put the ice to his ribs, rubbed the Icy Hot onto his hips and lower back, and then examined his bad leg to ensure it wasn't swollen or red and inflamed. Buck lay on his left side with a pillow tucked under his head, silent, but when the door pushed open and Christopher stuck his head into the room, he smiled at him.

"Hey buddy."

"Are you okay?" Christopher looked worried.

"Just had an accident at work," he replied, patting the bed. "Can I have a hug?"

Christopher entered the room, discarding his crutches on the floor and climbing up onto the bed. He touched the icepack balanced on Buck's ribs and then slotted in beside him, tucking his head under Buck's chin. Eddie said quietly, "Maybe we should book you into a physio. We don't want you to do any permanent damage to yourself."

"Whatever you think," Buck replied quietly. Eddie massaged his leg with Icy Hot, working the muscles with his fingers. Buck's eyes were closed, both arms wrapped around Christopher. "How was school?" Eddie heard him murmur.

"It was okay."

"Just okay?"

"Yeah."

They both sounded equally glum. Eddie regarded them with concern, trying to figure out how he could fix it.

~

He ordered Buck to call in sick – he'd woken up at 6am and had hardly been able to drag himself out of bed. His muscles were stiff and sore, and not even a hot shower and a cup of coffee were enough to boost his energy. Eddie watched him make the call and then sent him back to bed.

He dropped Christopher off at school and took a quick detour on the way to work, swinging into Buck's deli to pick up some breakfast. Buck had finally divulged the name and location of his secret deli – to Eddie only – and while he was there he arranged for Milo to deliver Buck a couple of sandwiches and some freshly made cookies, hoping that would cheer him up a bit.

At work, he waited for the right moment. Bobby was busy most of the morning, though he did make a pointed comment about certain team members calling in sick. Hen glanced over at Eddie with concern, and when they were alone, she asked him quietly, "What's wrong with Buck?"

"He had a bad fall yesterday. His ribs are all banged up and his hip is sore. He needs time to recover." Eddie shrugged at her. "I told him to call in sick; he didn't want to, but his health comes first."

"Bobby has been rostering him on a lot," she commented thoughtfully. "He told me it was to cover for Chimney, but he's been working with the second shift as well."

"He's still punishing Buck about the pot brownie."

She grimaced. "Still? That was weeks ago; Buck's been working his ass off ever since. Did he see a medic after his fall? Did they take a report?"

"I'm pretty sure Captain Stevens did. Bobby should have it." Eddie glanced over at Bobby's office and found that he was alone. "I'm going to talk to him."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked with concern. "You don't want to make things worse."

He shrugged at her. "Buck won't, so I'm going to have to try to sort things out between them."

"Just play it cool," she advised. "He's always been hard on Buck. You know I talked to him, after the bus fire? I asked him to go easy on you guys. Maybe he's been bottling it up."

That certainly explained why neither of them had been raked over the coals. He nodded, and then went over to knock on Bobby's door. "Can I come in?"

Bobby glanced up at him. "Sure, Eddie."

He stepped inside and pulled the door shut, taking a seat across from him. "This is about Buck. You read the report from yesterday?"

Bobby sat back in his seat, folding his arms across his chest, already on edge. "I did."

"Buck's got a big bruise on the right side of his body and—"

"Captain Stevens put in his report that Buck was at fault," Bobby cut in. "That he disobeyed orders."

Eddie paused. "That's not what he told me."

"Of course not."

He balked at that. "Buck doesn't lie to me."

Bobby shrugged. "Maybe to save face."

"Save face – Cap, he's not afraid to own up to his mistakes; you know that. He told me that Jeff didn't tell him that the floor was unstable."

"Buck wasn't paying attention."

"Come on," he objected. "You know that's bullshit, right? Buck doesn't mess around when he's in the field – he never has. All those times he and I have worked together and not once has his concentration lapsed."

Bobby sighed, reaching for a folder on the side of his desk. "Captain Stevens wrote in his report that Jeff told Buck to watch the floor and that Buck proceeded anyway."

"Well, I want to talk to Jeff, because he's a fucking liar."

"It's not your place to decide that. It's my place to decide what happens to Buck."

Eddie paused. "What happens to Buck?"

"Captain Stevens has recommended a suspension and perhaps splitting you two up—"

"Are you serious?"

"The pot brownie, this incident… what's next, Eddie? Maybe you two working together isn't helping—"

"I wasn't even there yesterday," he said evenly. "You have been rostering Buck non-stop for weeks. He's exhausted. You promised him a long weekend if he did that paperwork for you—"

"Which he didn't finish—"

"No, I finished it! So we should get the long weekend." Eddie glared at him. "The pot brownie was an accident, but you're taking this too far and you know it. You're meant to be his best man at our wedding – what's going on, Cap? Why are you being so hard on him?"

Bobby paused. "I don't think I am. I'm his Captain. And maybe it's time he grew up."

"Grew up? He's engaged to be married; we're looking at buying a house together and having a kid! You're projecting your own bullshit issues onto my fiancé and I've had enough."

"Eddie, you don't get a say in this!" Bobby snapped at him. "What I decide to do with Buck doesn't concern you."

"This isn't really about the pot brownie or that report – this goes right back to us not telling you about our relationship, and the bus fire," he said bitterly. "You wanted to say something then and you held back, so now you're punishing him. Well, at least make it equal – why aren't you rostering me on as much as him?"

"Captain Stevens requested Buck," Bobby replied tightly. "He's also interested in having Buck join their team full time."

Horrified, Eddie snapped, "And Buck gets no say in this?"

"Well, you're in here arguing for him, you tell me."

They glared at each other. Eddie finally said, "I want Valentine's Day weekend off. Four days for the both of us. Buck has worked enough extra shifts the last few weeks, so this shouldn't be a big ask."

"You can put in a leave request and I'll decide then."

"Or you could honour the deal you made and just give us the time off, like you said you were going to." Eddie couldn’t help but add, "You're being too hard on him. You know he looks up to you. If you transfer him out, you're going to break his heart. You can kiss your personal relationship goodbye."

Bobby sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Look, I'm under pressure too," he said. "Ever since you two went viral, my life hasn't been easy. I constantly get requests for one or both of you – mostly Buck – to do an interview or a photo shoot. The Department hasn't been happy about it since it happened and you two are under scrutiny, and when the Chief found out that Buck ate a pot brownie at work, he was apoplectic. I'm being hard on Buck because I've been told I have to - I can't give him a slap on the wrist and send him on his way. Captain Stevens likes Buck, and they need another big guy for their team… he'd still be with the 118, but you two wouldn't be working together all the time."

"Cap, I go where Buck goes," Eddie said flatly.

"They don't have a space for you."

"Then we'll have to look at our options."

Bobby narrowed his eyes. "Your options?"

Eddie shrugged. "Maybe the 118 isn't a good fit anymore."

Bobby gave him a long look, and then groaned. "You're serious."

"Yes."

"Eddie, I'm not trying to be the bad guy."

"No offence Cap, but you are being the bad guy. He feels like shit." Eddie shifted in his seat, glancing out at Hen, who was pacing back and forth outside the office worriedly. "I'm not in here trying to speak for him, but he's so pissed off right now that he probably couldn't talk to you without it turning into a shouting match. I just want to point out that there is a disparity with how Buck is being treated. And I also want you to interrogate Jeff about what happened because Buck's not lying. He wouldn't lie. You know that."

He nodded, and then muttered, "Jeff's been with us for over twenty years."

"Everyone makes mistakes; maybe he thought he could deflect some blame by pinning it on Buck."

"Maybe," Bobby acquiesced, flipping open the report again. "His statement is a little confusing. Buck's is very clear." He was silent for a few moments, scanning the page, and then said, "Okay, Eddie… I'll give you that long weekend, but don't ask me again for another one. You two have a month of leave coming up in the middle of the year and neither of you have enough days to cover that."

"We know; we're saving money for it."

"And I want Buck back at work tomorrow unless he has clearance from a doctor."

"He'll be here."

"Good." Bobby tapped his fingers on the table and then said, "And I'll make sure he's not rostered for any 24-hour shifts for a couple of weeks, but I want to talk to him tomorrow. Make sure he's here."

"I will."

"Good. You can go."

Eddie nodded at him and left his office.

~

Eddie filled Buck in on the discussion later that night, and Buck rested his head in his hands miserably. "He lied," he said hoarsely. "He didn't radio me about the floor. I swear. I asked him if it was stable and he said yes."

"Then you need to have a meeting with Bobby and Captain Stevens to defend yourself."

He nodded. "Okay, I will. Jesus, Eds… he's that mad at me? He's thinking of just… letting me go?" Buck looked so goddamn _hurt_.

"You guys need to sit down and talk, maybe outside of work, to figure this out," Eddie suggested. "And if there is no way of resolving your issues, we'll think about transferring to a different station."

Buck gave him a haunted look. "I love this job."

"Baby, I know," Eddie replied, reaching out to take his hand across the table. "I don't know what Jeff's problem is, but if he thinks he's going to put the blame on you, he's wrong. I'll fight for you; you know I will."

"Maybe he did say something, and I didn't hear it," Buck murmured, rubbing his face. "But I'm sure he didn't."

"I believe you." Eddie squeezed his hand. "Jeff can be a real asshole sometimes."

"He doesn't like me. He never has. I didn't mention it, but he's been kind of a jerk about you and I being together." He raised his eyebrows at him, and then rolled his eyes. "I've just been ignoring it."

"You should've told me."

"And get you all pissed off? Nope." Buck's thumb stroked over the back of his hand. "It doesn't matter, because we hardly ever have to work with him… but now Bobby wants me to work second shift full time. Fuck, Eddie, we'll never see each other. I can't do it." His eyes filled with tears, and he shook his head slightly.

Eddie stood up and rounded the table, sliding his hands across Buck's shoulders. "You're not getting transferred. I don't know what Bobby's problem is, but you're going to talk to him and figure it out – and if you can't figure it out, we will look at moving to a different station together."

"Yeah." Buck wiped his eyes, huffing out a laugh when Eddie pressed kisses to his cheek and forehead. "Okay."

"You want me to give you a massage before bed?"

"Nah, it's okay. You don't have to."

Eddie moved so he was sitting sideways in Buck's lap, leaning in to kiss him again. "What if I want to?"

"Then I don't see how I could possibly stop you," Buck murmured against his lips, breaking into a broad smile as Eddie peppered his face with kisses. "If anyone could see you like this, they wouldn't believe it."

"Me?" Eddie blinked at him. "I just love you so much."

"Yeah, tough Eddie is a big softie," Buck teased him. "Is it just me who inspires this in you, or is this how you treat all your dates?"

"Let me tell you a secret," Eddie said, running his thumb over Buck's birthmark. "Shannon had a thing about men being men. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but she liked it when I was more… um… restrained."

Buck made a face. "Oh."

"But you're not like that, so I just get to be me," he said simply, and pressed a firm kiss to Buck's forehead.

"Does that mean I wear the pants in this relationship?"

"Until I take them off, yeah." Eddie grinned at him. "Speaking of… bedtime?"

"You're just using me for my body."

"Ah, you caught me; you figured it out." Eddie pushed his fingers through Buck's hair, smiling down at him. "Damn it."

~~

Buck expected Bobby to pull him aside as soon as he arrived at work, but as the hours passed by uneventfully, nothing was said. Hen was uncharacteristically quiet, hovering around him and Eddie as they ran through the inventory on the trucks and made sure everything was stocked up, but it wasn't until almost lunchtime that Bobby asked him to join him in his office.

Eddie and Hen followed him up the stairs, taking up watchful positions in the kitchen. Bobby gave them a stern look as he held the door open for Buck. Once inside, Bobby took his seat and said, "We've done a thorough investigation about your fall the other day. Jeff wasn't entirely truthful when he gave his version of events."

Buck wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers. "Okay."

"He admitted that he didn't radio you when he should have. He said he thought you were heading back the other way, but several other people reported that you radioed him to tell him that you were behind him, so…" Bobby trailed off. "I think he lied to cover himself. He's been suspended for a few days, and Captain Stevens is going to work with him, so this doesn't happen again. I assume you and Eddie spoke about our conversation yesterday."

"Yeah, he told me what you said." Before Bobby could respond, Buck said emphatically, "Cap, I don't want to transfer out. I know that we've made your life harder the last few months and I know I fucked up at the bus fire and with the pot brownie, but… it was an accident. You're my captain; I want to stay here."

Bobby nodded at him. "I want you both to stay here as well."

"I'm not trying to disappoint you, you know."

"I know you're not, Buck, but it's the same thing we keep going back to where you're not thinking ahead. The brownie thing – it was a mistake, a stupid mistake, but after the LSD incident a couple of years ago, I thought you would've been smarter than that."

"We still get baked stuff all the time; we all still eat it," he pointed out. "How is me eating one brownie the end of the world? Or are you looking for a reason to… get rid of me? Split Eddie and I up?"

"Eddie's made it clear that if you transfer out, he's going with you," Bobby replied. "So even if I wanted to split you up, it wouldn't happen. Look, the problem isn't you and Eddie working together – it's you. Not thinking things through. You're too impulsive, Buck. I don't trust you not to be impulsive. You nearly leapt into a burning bus to save Eddie, and he wasn't even inside. You need to think before you leap. I want you to take responsibility. To show leadership. To make the right call."

He glanced out at Eddie again. "Okay," he said quietly. "I will."

"Good." Bobby flashed him a tense smile, just as the alarms began to sound. "All right. Let's get moving."

~

The call was to a car accident on Ventura Boulevard, and as they exited the engine and hurried over to assist, it quickly became apparent that it was a road rage incident as well. An irate, balding, middle-aged man was screaming through the window at two terrified women, trapped in their smoking car, which was wrapped around a telephone pole.

"They've cut the power," Bobby instructed them, as Buck and Eddie retrieved the Jaws of Life. "Let's get this man calmed down and away from the car so we can help them out."

Buck followed Hen and her partner for the week, Mary, over to the cars. "Sir," he said, trying to steer the man away from the wreck. "Sir, please, I know you're upset, but you need to give us some space to work."

"These fucking _bitches_ came out of nowhere and cut me off!" he snarled, gesturing towards his car, a Bentley, which was on the footpath with a crumpled hood. "You know they were on their phones, not paying attention!"

Buck took him by the arm and physically steered him away from the wreck. "Listen, the police are on their way, so you can tell the story to them, all right? Are you hurt?"

"Get your fucking hand off me!" the man shouted, shoving Buck back. "I want them arrested!"

"That's for the police to handle," Buck said to him, blocking him from returning to the car. "Sir, just calm down, all right? Let us do our job."

He was given an up and down look. "I know you," the man spat. "You're that gay firefighter."

Eddie looked over sharply. The doors were open, and both women were being assisted out of the car.

Buck said, "Yes sir, I am, but that's not really the issue right now. Are you hurt?"

"Have you seen _my car_?!"

"Yes sir, but you seem to have gotten yourself out of it okay."

He made a move as if to go around him, but Buck blocked him again, holding his arms out wide. "I want to talk to them! Let me through!" the man shouted, stomping his foot, groaning with frustration as Buck kept backing him up, away from the others.

A police car pulled up alongside the ladder truck, and Athena stepped out. "Everything okay, Buckaroo?"

"Oh finally," the man snapped. "I want this firefighter charged with intimidation and I want those women over there charged with reckless endangerment and attempted murder!"

Athena arched her eyebrows. "Quite the list of complaints. How about you and I talk about what happened?"

"Finally, someone _reasonable,_ " the man spat at Buck, and followed Athena to her car.

He rolled his eyes, turning to find Bobby and Eddie striding up beside him. "How are they?" he asked them.

"Pretty good considering the state of their car," Eddie replied. "Minor cuts, possible concussions. They said he was driving erratically."

"Yeah, I don't doubt that," Buck remarked, and grinned as Eddie gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Bobby was watching Athena, but he glanced at Buck and said, "Good work diffusing the situation and letting the rest of us in."

Buck nodded at him, and as Bobby went to join Athena near the police car, he let out a breath. "Am I being responsible enough?" he asked Eddie in a low voice.

Eddie gave him a rueful smile. "You always are," he said loyally.

~~

Over the course of the next few days, the tension between Buck and Bobby seemed to ease. Buck was back to working his normal roster and all talk of transferring him to the second shift vanished – Jeff was suspended for a few days, and Captain Stevens apologised to Buck the next time they crossed paths. He was still feeling uneasy about everything but was relieved to more or less have his life back on track.

They booked three nights in a hotel on Catalina Island, the first time for either of them. Christopher was going to spend the weekend at Pepa's with his cousins. He hadn't expressed much excitement about it, and was in the doldrums again, though neither Eddie nor Buck had been able to get to the bottom of it.

Carla called Eddie at work after school on the Monday, out of the blue, apologising profusely. Eddie left the others in the kitchen and descended the stairs with the phone to his ear. "Don't apologise. What's going on?"

"Well, like you asked me to I kept my eyes open at pick-up this afternoon," she began. "Christopher was late, well behind the rest of them. I was waiting for a good five minutes before he arrived – I was starting to get a little worried, but he came out with his bag and gave me a hug and a kiss like always."

"Okay," he said, leaning against the wall near the ladder truck. "And then?"

"He's got a bruise," she said reluctantly. "It's on the back of his arm; looks like someone pinched him."

"Are you sure?" he demanded, his heart beginning to pound. Someone was hurting _Christopher?_

"Oh yes, I took some photos, but you'll see it when you get home. I asked him about it; he said that physical education got a little out of hand. So I called some of the other parents to ask them if they'd noticed anything, and when I spoke to Angela, she told me that her daughter, Ella, said that a couple of boys had been teasing Christopher the last few weeks."

"Teasing," he repeated, as Buck joined him. "Nobody has said anything like that to us – his teachers haven't told us anything."

"No, which is what I told her. Apparently, it's happening at lunch; during class everything is fine. Now, I know you're going to be upset, but I've already requested a meeting with Christopher's teacher and the principal tomorrow, and when you and Buck get home, I want you to sit down with him and see if he'll open up. We've all noticed his change in behaviour, so we need to be proactive."

"Okay," he agreed, glancing at Buck. "We'll talk to him tonight."

"Good. Don't worry, Eddie. We'll figure this out."

He ended the call and relayed the information to Buck, whose eyebrows knitted together with concern. "So when we're talking about teasing, we're actually talking about bullying, right?"

"I think so." Eddie shoved his phone in his pocket, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. "I want some fucking answers. This school – Buck, they promised me that this kind of thing didn't happen. And you and I both know which kid it is."

"Yeah, that tall brat, but you can't go storming in and demanding his head. Christopher needs to tell us what's going on."

"Why do you think I'm going to storm in and demand his head?"

Buck raised his eyebrows. "Look at you – you're ready to knock someone out. Eds… we'll figure this out. I was bullied when I was a kid, you know."

Eddie turned to him with surprise. "You never told me that."

Buck shrugged, and then tapped the birthmark over his eye. "You think kids really understood what this was? You think they were cool with it? Kids are assholes. You got lucky with Christopher; he's the best, but in general, kids are assholes."

"So what did you do?"

"I don't know, this all happened when I was about eight, I think… it lasted for a few months before summer break; I didn't have many friends, and then there was a reshuffling after summer and everyone was moved around into different classes. I ended up making friends and the bullying stopped – but I thought Chris had a group of friends, so I don't know why the fuck this has happened."

"It's that tall brat," Eddie hissed at him.

"Yeah, I know, but we don't know for sure. We'll talk to him tonight," Buck said, as the alarms began to ring. "Come on, put your game face on."

~

Eddie fretted about it all afternoon, until he and Buck walked into the house that night and found Christopher on the floor in the living room, watching TV while he played with his matchbox cars. Christopher called out to them both happily, and his heart lifted a little, until Carla gestured to him from the kitchen.

He left Buck and Christopher on the floor together and went to join her. She handed him a collection of Christopher's drawings and said quietly, "I found these. I haven't asked him about them yet."

His heart sank as he examined the pictures. Christopher, who had always expressed himself through art, was angry. That much was clear – the top pictures were happy – family scenes, sunshine, water, dogs, with lots of bright colours and smiling faces. One picture was obviously Buck and Eddie, surrounded by love hearts.

Underneath, things were different. Gone were the bright colours. Gone were the smiling faces, the trees, the sunshine – replaced with black rain clouds, scrawls of grey and brown and swirls of red. One picture simply said, 'I HATE HIM,' in large red letters.

He let out a breath and met Carla's eyes. "This is not good."

"No," she agreed. "They were stuffed down in the bottom of his bag. I found them when I was cleaning it out."

"We've got an appointment tomorrow?"

She nodded. "Tomorrow afternoon, for all three of us – you and Buck included. He's in their official paperwork as one of Christopher's legal guardians now. You think your captain will have a problem with that?"

"I'll call him at home tonight to work it out." Eddie flipped through the pictures again, screwing his face up. "I missed this completely."

"No, you haven't – we just didn't have all of the pieces of the puzzle. Talk to Christopher tonight and see what he tells you. The more information we have, the better." Carla held out her phone with a picture of the bruise on Christopher's arm, just above the line of his shirt. "I only saw it when he climbed into the car."

Eddie examined it, swallowing hard. "Someone did that to him. That tall kid."

"Well, you're not the only ones worried about him. Some of the other parents expressed concern to me today as well," she replied, taking the phone back. "I think he has some serious behavioural issues that aren't being addressed – what kid does this? Christopher has never had problems like this before."

"He did in El Paso," Eddie replied. "At his first school. They weren't equipped to deal with a child with CP. It's one of the many reasons I brought him here. I thought the schools out here would be… better."

"And this school is, for the most part," she replied reassuringly. "We will figure this out."

~

After dinner – Christopher's all-time favourite, Buck's special macaroni and cheese (which was only special because he put diced up bacon in it and bread crumbs on top, which was something Eddie _didn't_ do) – Eddie sat down with Christopher on the couch, the drawings in his hand. Buck took a seat on the floor opposite them, crossing his legs, smiling when Christopher slid off the couch and into his lap. He'd seen the pictures and put two-and-two together – they were going to have a discussion, and Buck was his safe harbour.

Eddie said quietly, "We've noticed you've been upset lately."

Christopher made a face.

"And we wanted to talk to you about these pictures."

"It's just drawings."

Eddie held up the one with 'I HATE HIM' written on it and asked, "Are they?"

Christopher turned his head to the side, one arm snaking around Buck's waist.

"Buddy, you can tell us," Buck said gently. "Your dad and I just want to know what's going on."

"Nothing."

"Then how did you get the bruise on your arm?" Eddie asked, reaching out to touch it.

Christopher groaned. "I got hit with a ball!"

"They must've thrown it pretty hard—"

"It was a _baseball._ "

Eddie and Buck exchanged a look. Buck said, "Someone threw a baseball at you?"

"No, I got in the way." Christopher stubbornly pressed his face against Buck's chest, refusing to meet Eddie's eyes.

Eddie could always get the truth out of him with a little eye contact – it worked on Buck too, like a charm – so he reached out, cupped his fingers under Christopher's chin, and turned his face towards him. Once their eyes met, he said quietly, "You don't have to go through this alone."

And that was enough to make Christopher burst into tears – he let out a sob, reaching his hands out, and Eddie knelt on the floor and enfolded him in a hug. A moment later, Buck's arms were around them both.

"I can't tell you," Christopher wept. "I want to be strong and tough."

"There's nothing wrong asking for help," Eddie whispered. "Buck and I ask for help all the time."

"You do?"

"We sure do, bud," Buck said. "Before your dad and I met, I didn't really have anyone to talk to, you know? And then your dad came along, and he was the first person I really felt comfortable enough to ask for help."

"I feel the same way about Buck," Eddie said, running his fingers through Christopher's hair. "You have to have people in your life you can trust, and you can trust us."

Christopher lifted his head, sniffling. "I don't want to tell you."

Buck sat back on his knees. Eddie exchanged a look with him and then said, "If there's someone at school causing problems, you can tell us."

He remained stubbornly silent, shaking his head.

Eddie regarded him seriously – it was so unlike Christopher not to be open. His kid was a literal ray of sunshine, always happy, and to see him so miserable was gutting. He cupped his face with both hands and said, "We're on your team. It's you, me and Buck. When you feel ready to talk to us, we'll be here to listen."

Christopher was silent, chewing on his lower lip. He finally whispered, "I don't want you to go away this weekend."

They looked at each other. Eddie had planned the perfect weekend getaway for Buck – now that Sophia had taken over the wedding planning, he was free to focus on other things, and one of those things was taking Buck away for Valentine's Day. He'd chosen Catalina Island because they'd never been, it involved a boat trip (which Buck was extremely excited about) and it would be an easy, chilled out break for them after a few stressful weeks.

He wasn't expecting Buck to say, "Well, kiddo – how about the three of us go away this weekend instead? We'll go for a road trip up north, stop into the magic beach, maybe go all the way to Yosemite. What do you think?"

Eddie gave him a grateful look. Christopher nodded, and then whispered, "Is that okay, Dad?"

Eddie smiled at him. "That sounds great to me."

"You're not mad?"

"Not at all." He kissed his forehead and hugged him again. Buck smiled at him, reaching out to touch his cheek lightly. Maybe they'd finally be able to coax the truth out of him.

**~*~*~*~**

**Christopher**

He hadn't meant for his Dad to see his pictures. He meant to tuck them in the folder with all his other private things, but he forgot. He wasn't ready to talk to them yet, about anything, even though he could see that Dad was upset. Buck took him aside before bed to give him an extra hug and told him he would plan an awesome weekend for them.

The thing was that he knew he was meant to stay with Tia Pepa, because Dad and Buck had been working such long hours that they needed a break. He tossed and turned all night, feeling guilty about it, and finally went into their bedroom in the early hours of the morning to crawl in beside his Dad for a hug. Dad was a good hugger, even in his sleep.

He wanted to tell them, but he hated for his Dad to be upset. Hated when his eyes got all teary and sad. Dad and Buck had been so happy that Christopher wanted them to stay that way always. He didn't want to be the cause of their unhappiness.

Dad and Buck took him to school, and he was brave as he left them and went into the building. His friends weren't really his friends anymore, so nobody was waiting for him. His teacher greeted him as he went into his classroom and took his seat near the front. As long as they were in the classroom, everything was fine, but at lunch… that was when things changed.

His friends sat with Rodney now, and the r-word was thrown around at him a lot, but never in front of any adults. Sometimes the girls would stick up for him; sometimes not. Today they weren't paying him any attention, and he got it. It was an 'ignore Christopher' day. He sat by himself and ate his lunch – Buck had made him a nice chicken sandwich – trying not to think about how lonely he was.

It was when he was leaving the bathrooms right at the end of lunch that Rodney cornered him. "Cry baby," he teased, advancing on Christopher until he had no choice but to press up against the wall. "Stupid baby."

_If only Dad or Buck could see this_ , he thought, as Rodney stepped right up into his face and called him names. He tried to have no reaction – tried not to cry. He had to be strong and brave.

That seemed to only enrage Rodney further, and he kicked Christopher's legs and crutches out from under him, sending him crashing to the floor. He heard the crack when his arm broke before the pain hit, but Rodney sprinted from the room, leaving him on his own.

**~*~*~*~**

The alarms sounded at the 118, and Eddie and Buck automatically went down to gear up, and then climbed into the truck. Bobby informed them that they were heading for a school where one of the students had broken their arm, and Eddie didn't think too much of it – he and Buck wouldn't be needed. He zoned out, leaning against Buck's shoulder comfortably, when Hen's voice came through on the headset. "Hey Eddie, what's the name of Christopher's school?"

"Durand School," he replied. "Why?"

Hen paused, and then said quietly, "Eddie, I think the patient might be Christopher."

"What?" he demanded, sitting upright, sharing a horrified look with Buck. "What did you hear?"

"The patient is a nine-year-old boy with cerebral palsy, with a possible fracture to his left arm," she replied. "I mean, it could be someone else."

"No, he's the only one in his grade," Buck said, taking Eddie's hand and squeezing it tightly. "How far out are we?"

"Five minutes," Bobby replied. "Eddie, Buck – you will be professional."

Eddie wanted to snap at him and say, ' _Like you were when Athena was injured?_ ' He bit his tongue instead, heart pounding, filled with panic. Buck's reassuring grip kept him calm, and he recited to himself, ' _Just stay calm, he's okay, kids break their arms, it's going to be okay.'_

He kept up the mantra as they arrived at the school, glancing over at Bobby, who nodded for him and Buck to go ahead first. Parents were arriving to pick up their children, and a few people called out – one of them was Carla, who Buck stopped to talk to.

Eddie was on a single-minded mission. One of Christopher's teachers was waiting for him in the hall – Mr Walsh was a nice guy, ordinarily, but right now Eddie wanted to murder him.

"Mr Diaz," he began, holding out his hands desperately. "I'm so sorry."

"Where is he?"

"He's in the nurse's office – follow me." Mr Richards was ashen, wringing his hands together as he led Eddie down the hallway. "We don't know what happened. I'm so sorry."

"Just take me to my son," he said through gritted teeth, trying to maintain his composure. They rounded a corner and found a huddle of people standing outside the principal's office, including Ana Flores, who was standing at the back of the group.

"Mr Diaz," the principal said, stepping forward. "He's in here. We called the ambulance as soon as we found him."

A few thoughts flashed through his brain at once – _you didn't know where he was? Why didn't you know where he was? What the fuck happened?_ – but he pushed past them all and stepped into the room, where Christopher was lying on a bed, his left arm in gauze, tears rolling down his cheeks.

Eddie almost burst into tears himself. He wanted to pull him into his arms for a tight hug, but he settled for pressing urgent kisses to his forehead, cupping his face with both hands. "Are you okay?"

Christopher nodded shakily.

Eddie glanced over his shoulder at the others, blocking them from Christopher's sight with his body, and asked him again, quietly, "Are you okay?"

He shook his head and began to weep.

"Coming through," Hen called, wheeling the stretcher in. "Hi Christopher."

"Hi," he whispered, turning his head away.

Eddie stroked his hair, letting out a breath, and said, "Chris, Hen's going to check you out but I'm going to stay right here. Buck and Carla should be here any second."

"Okay."

He wanted to let out a primal scream of rage and had to cover his mouth with his hand to stop it from escaping. He watched, on edge, as Hen and Mary tended to Christopher, examining his left arm. Buck skidded into the room, Carla at his heels, his eyes wide.

"Buck," Christopher cried, and burst into tears again.

"Oh buddy, it's okay," Buck said, reaching out with one hand to grasp Eddie's shoulder, on the verge of tears as well. "I broke my arm when I was about your age too. You're going to be fine – they're going to give you an awesome cast, okay? We'll pick out a cool colour."

Eddie could hardly speak, focused only on the feel of Buck's hand, grounding him in reality. Bobby entered the room as well – it was suddenly very crowded, with six adults and one boy all vying for space.

"I need to find out what happened," Eddie said to Buck, his voice low, finally able to speak. "Before I lose my mind."

Buck nodded. "We'll let Hen get him settled and then you and I will ask him. Eds, you go with him to the hospital – Carla and I will stay here and deal with the school."

"Are you sure?" he asked – suddenly so fucking grateful for Buck.

"Yeah, you need to go with Christopher," he said, rubbing his back.

Hen and Mary carefully settled Christopher onto the stretcher. Hen gently rubbed his cheek and said, "You're so brave; you're doing amazingly, and now we get to go for a ride in the ambulance with the sirens on."

"I'm coming with you," Eddie said to her, and she nodded in response. "Can you give us one minute to find out what happened?"

"Sure Eddie, he's doing great," Hen said reassuringly, taking a step to the side.

Aware that they had an audience and that Christopher might not appreciate it, Eddie angled his body so he was directly in Christopher's line of sight, with Buck and Carla to either side, blocking the view of their onlookers. Eddie smiled at him, took his right hand and said, "Okay, buddy. Tell me how this happened, please."

"I didn't want you to worry," Christopher whispered. "I wanted to be strong like you and Buck."

"Why did you need to be strong?"

"Because…" his lower lip trembled. "Because Rodney has been mean to me since he got here and he pushed me over."

Eddie looked up at Buck sharply, who nodded. "Rodney did this," he clarified, making sure Christopher was looking him in the eyes. "He pushed you over."

"In the bathrooms."

"Why did he push you over?"

Christopher sniffled, a tear snaking its way down his cheek. "He says I'm a baby and that I'm… that… word. The 'R' word." He screwed his face up with shame.

_Motherfucker._ Eddie's blood was boiling, but he felt Buck's hand grasp his shoulder and squeeze once. He paused for a moment, swallowing the lump in his throat, and said, "Thank you for telling me. We're going to make sure this never happens again."

"I just want to be normal," Christopher whispered to him.

Fighting back tears, he said, "Nobody is normal, Chris. You just need to be _you._ You're my kid – you're _our kid._ And we want you just the way you are, okay? Don't ever think that you need to hide anything from Buck and me. You don't always have to be strong. You're allowed to be upset; you're allowed to cry. It's okay."

Christopher nodded tearfully. "Okay."

"I'm coming with you, and Buck and Carla are going to stay here and talk to your teacher, okay? So give Buck a kiss before we go." Eddie leaned in to kiss his forehead, and then stepped aside so Buck could do the same.

~~

Buck followed them out to the ambulance, leaving Carla with the teachers. Bobby was at his side and he said – expecting an argument – "I have to stay here and deal with the school for Eddie. I can make up the time I miss tomorrow or next week; if you want to add the hours to my shift, I'll work them."

"You don't have to make up the time, Buck," Bobby replied. "I understand."

"I want to," he said firmly. "For Eddie and me – I'll work an extra shift. Just roster me on whenever."

Bobby considered him, and then nodded. "Okay. If that's what you want."

"It's what's fair." They arrived at the ambulance, where Hen and Eddie were loading the stretcher. Christopher had a wide-eyed look on his face, so Buck said to him, "Hey Chris, make sure you get an awesome colour for your cast, all right? I can't wait to see it."

Christopher gave a genuine, beaming smile. "Okay!"

"You're going to look super cool, bud. I'll see you in a few hours, all right?" Buck waved at him and was heartened when Christopher replied with a wave of his own.

Eddie pulled him to the side, gazing up at him gratefully. "You sure you're okay to handle this?"

"Yep, I've got it. No problem. You go to the hospital, and I'll text you when we're done to find out where you are." They parted with a kiss, and Buck turned to head back into the school, and to his first meeting with a principal since he was in school himself.

He and Carla were almost back inside the building when a short blonde woman stopped them. "Carla," she said, completely ignoring Buck. "What happened to Eddie's son?"

Carla and Buck exchanged a look. "Debra, you remember Buck, don't you?" Carla asked pleasantly.

Debra shot Buck a quick look and said tightly, "Yes, of course. What happened? Heavenly is very upset."

"Christopher broke his arm and that's all we know," Carla replied pleasantly.

"Yes, but how?" Debra pressed. "This school is meant to be safe!"

"We don't know," Buck couldn't help but snap. "That's what we're trying to figure out."

Debra shot him a pointed look, and turned her back on him, addressing Carla solely. "This is what happens when they let lower socio-economic families—"

"No," Carla said flatly, holding up a hand. "Absolutely not. We're not doing this. Goodbye." She turned on her heel and stormed into the building, Buck trailing behind. "That _woman._ "

Mr Walsh was waiting for them just inside the hallway, wringing his hands together. Buck vaguely recognised the other teacher standing beside him as Christopher's former teacher, and it was she who asked with concern, "Is Christopher okay?"

"He's strong; he'll be fine, Ms Flores," Carla said firmly.

"Rodney's parents have been called," Mr Walsh said – he was younger than Buck, maybe in his early 20s, with wire-rimmed glasses and red hair. Christopher liked him a lot, and Eddie did too, for the most part. Maybe not anymore. Buck hadn't really had much to do with Christopher's school, but he was happy to be thrown in the deep end while Eddie went to the hospital.

"You must be Eddie's partner," Ms Flores said to Buck, who nodded. "Christopher used to speak about you all the time when he was in my class. Buck, right?"

"Right. Nice to meet you."

"When's the wedding?" she asked him curiously.

"Uh, July." He smiled at her tensely. Eddie had been fleetingly interested in her at one point, and he could see why – kinda funny that things had changed so much in a year.

"Follow me to the principal's office," Mr Walsh said, exchanging a quick look with Ms Flores. "Again, I want to reiterate to you how deeply sorry I am that this happened. When I see Mr Diaz next, I'll be sure to tell him the same thing."

Buck automatically wanted to reassure him that it wasn't his fault, but it _was_ , so he kept his mouth shut. Carla had a no-nonsense expression on her face, and he decided to emulate her and not try to make friends with everyone. Eddie had said to him that he needed to work on his parenting so god damn it, he was going to do his best.

As they stepped into the school office, the tall brat – Rodney – was seated against the wall outside the principal's office, staring glumly at the floor. Buck fought the sudden urge to strangle him and instead waited with Carla while Mr Walsh went to speak with the principal.

"He is tall," Buck murmured in her ear.

"I think he's a year older," she murmured back, "but he has learning difficulties. That's my understanding."

"He's going to get expelled, right?"

"Definitely. Buck, you listen to me – they are going to be terrified that we'll sue," she said, arching her eyebrows at him. "They are going to bend over backwards for us. You wait and see."

Principal Summers emerged from her office, gesturing to them. Carla plastered a smile on her face and led him into the room. They took the two seats at the desk, Mr Walsh perched on a table near the window and Principal Summers sat in her desk chair, regarding them seriously.

"First of all, I want to convey to you how deeply sorry we are that this happened," she began, her hands flat on the table. "I understand Mr Diaz has gone with Christopher to the hospital, and I would very much like an opportunity to speak to him as well."

"We can arrange that," Carla said stiffly. "Obviously, you both are aware that Buck is one of Christopher's guardians, that he and Eddie are marrying in a few months and he has power to make decisions on Christopher's behalf."

"Yes, of course," Principal Summers said, nodding at Buck. "It's nice to meet you, Buck – is it okay to call you that?"

"That's fine," he replied.

"I realise we had an appointment booked today to speak about potential bullying and I'm so sorry that this has happened before we had a chance to address it," she said. "All of our teachers keep a close eye on the children in their classes and we were unaware that anything was happening."

"We spoke to you about the sex talk last month," Carla reminded her. "Eddie and I expressed to you how concerned we were. Was nothing done?"

"We had a meeting with Rodney's parents, and they assured us that he was seeing a child psychologist," Principal Summers replied. "I'm sure you understand that Rodney has some difficulties—"

"Difficulties shouldn't include speaking to nine and ten-year-olds about sex," Carla replied sharply. "We expected something would be done."

"Mrs Price, I've been working with Rodney in class and I thought he'd shown some improvement," Mr Walsh said nervously. "He seemed to be fitting in a little better."

"And where was Christopher during all of this?" Buck asked quietly. "Because he's been unhappy for weeks. Eddie and Carla talked to you last month about this."

"I didn't know that there was bullying happening," he said helplessly.

"And you didn't either," Principal Summers pointed out.

Buck gave her a sharp look. "He wouldn't talk about it. He wouldn't open up to us. We've known something was wrong – we've been trying for weeks to talk it through with him. You were asked to keep an eye on the situation and report back to us, and you just kept telling us that everything was fine – well, clearly it's not, because my kid is in hospital with a broken arm."

Mr Walsh began wringing his hands together again. "I had noticed that perhaps Christopher was quieter and… not spending as much time with his friends."

Buck exchanged a look with Carla. "So your most outgoing, gregarious kid suddenly starts withdrawing and isolating himself, and you don't think that's important enough to tell us?" she demanded. "Stuart, I like you, but I'm incredibly disappointed right now."

He hung his head.

Principal Summers said, "Mr Walsh has twenty children to look after, Carla – you know this."

"I know that, but only one of them has CP. You assured us when we enrolled him in this school that he would be safe and treated no differently to any of the other kids. How did you not realise something was going on when we repeatedly told you our concerns? Repeatedly, Stuart," she said sharply. "I talked to you twice last week about this."

"If it happens in the playground, we're not aware of it," he said meekly.

Carla glanced at Buck again, who said, "I get that – you can't keep an eye on them one hundred percent of the time, but I mean… there's obviously a problem with this kid. Are we the only people who have brought this to your attention?"

"No, other parents have had concerns as well, but this school caters to children with all kinds of difficulties, and Rodney falls into that category," Principal Summers said. "We spoke to his parents – they assured us they were addressing the problem."

"No ten-year-old kid should be talking about sex," Carla said sharply. "Did you ask them to address that problem?"

"We did. He has a child psychologist that he sees once every two weeks," Principal Summers stressed. "Carla, his parents are nice people, and they're trying their best."

"We're all trying our best," Buck said flatly, "but our kid is the one with a broken arm, and their kid is the one who did it."

"We don't know for certain that Rodney is the one who did it—"

"Christopher told us," he stressed. "And he wouldn't lie."

"Yes, but we need to have all of the facts before we make a decision," she replied. "I need to speak with Rodney's parents. He needs to tell me what happened."

Carla sighed. "If nothing will be done about Rodney, we'll be looking at moving Christopher to another school," she said, arching her eyebrows at Principal Summers. "We're happy to wait for you to speak to his parents now, but we would like an answer today – as long as that boy is in Christopher's class, he will not be returning to this school."

Principal Summers nodded, tapping her nails on the desk, and said, "If you're happy to wait while I meet with his parents, I'm hopeful of resolving this today."

"Good."

~

Rodney's parents were in the waiting area when they emerged – a younger couple, both with wide eyes. Rodney's mother was seated beside her son, holding his hand, and his father had his arms crossed over his chest. He and Buck made eye contact as they entered and exchanged a brief nod.

They didn't have to wait long – it had only been a few minutes when they heard yelling from inside the office, and Rodney suddenly screamed, "Well, he _is a baby!_ " Something crashed to the floor and then Rodney's father emerged, holding his son by the arm, dragging him out of the office.

"I'm very sorry," he said to them, as Rodney screwed his face up and beat his fists ineffectually against his father's back. "I'm so sorry about your son."

Buck nodded at him again, watching as he marched his son out of the office and into the hallway.

The mother followed a minute later, a tissue to her eyes, her head down.

They were beckoned back inside the office. Principal Summers gave a quick rundown – he'd been cagey at first but under some questioning from his mother he'd caved in, thrown a tantrum and admitted he'd done it because of Christopher's disability. They were expelling him immediately, and they were going to add some new policies to ensure that all the children in the school would be safe from bullying.

There was another round of sincere apologies, a mention of a discount on Christopher's tuition, and then they were finally allowed to leave. Buck followed Carla to her car and slipped into the passenger seat.

"Well," she remarked, starting the engine. "That was the outcome we wanted."

"I feel sorry for that kid and his parents."

"So do I, Buck, but he needs specialised attention. He's a danger to the other kids."

He gave her a quick look and said, "Don't tell Eddie I said that."

She laughed. "I won't. Listen, I have to go through that all again tomorrow with Eddie, and he's not going to be as nice as you were. You were great today, Buckaroo. I'm so impressed."

"Me? I was just trying to figure out what Eddie would say and do if he was there… other than be fucking furious."

"I think it worked out well that you took over and sent Eddie with Christopher. I think Principal Summers liked you."

"Everyone likes me."

She chuckled. "Oh Buckaroo. I don't think Debra is a big fan."

"Yeah, well, Debra's cupcakes were dry, and her buttercream was overworked," Buck said smartly. "It's not hard."

"I don't think Eddie finds baking particularly easy."

"He made a great buttercream, Carla, and buttercream is hard to fuck up, but somehow she did it." He flashed a grin as she laughed heartily. "But anyway, I'm just worried that… this is going to sound stupid," he admitted, "but… Christopher is the happiest, most joyful kid I've ever met, and I would hate for some of that to be taken away."

"Kids are resilient," she said reassuringly. "And yes, things came to a head – unfortunate timing, considering we were going to have a meeting with them today about everything. But he'll talk to you and Eddie, open up more now that things are out in the open, and he'll be okay. Eddie can book him in with his psychologist for a few sessions. Bad things happen, Buck – you know that."

"Kids are mean."

"Yes, they are." She patted him on the leg.

Twenty minutes later they pulled up in front of the house. Eddie and Christopher were already home, the lights on – Buck guessed Eddie had swung by the station to pick up his car, because it was parked in its usual spot. He led Carla up the drive and in through the front door.

"Buck!" Christopher shouted from the couch, holding up his left arm, which was adorned with a red and blue cast. "I'm Superman!"

He clutched his chest, wheeling around to look at Carla. "Can you believe it?"

"No," she laughed, hurrying over to give Christopher a kiss. "Let me see that. Look at this! Things certainly have changed since I was a kid."

Eddie stepped out of the kitchen, looking tense, but relaxed when Buck pulled him in for a hug and kiss. "Hey," he said. "Clean break, cast for six weeks, and he needs to have another x-ray at the end of next week. The doctor said he was very brave."

"The bravest," Christopher boasted from the couch.

"Yeah, I bet," Buck replied, pulling Eddie in to whisper in his ear, "the tall brat's getting expelled."

Eddie let out a breath of relief and nodded quickly. "Good. Hey, I stopped in and grabbed dinner – I think you'll like it."

"Taco Bell," he guessed, kissing Eddie again before joining Christopher on the couch and admiring his cast.

"Better."

"What's better than Taco Bell?" he asked, exchanging a look with Christopher, who giggled at him. "Did they give you happy gas at the hospital?"

"No, I gave him a soda and an ice cream afterwards," Eddie replied, emerging from the kitchen with a distinctive takeaway bag. "Cheesecake Factory."

Buck turned to him, his jaw hanging open. "You got takeaway Cheesecake Factory?"

"I did." Eddie set the bag down on the table. "Carla, you're welcome to join us, there's enough food here to feed the 118 comfortably."

She checked her watch. "If you bought some of those deep-fried macaroni and cheese balls, I'm in."

Eddie grinned at her. "It's your lucky day."

"Ooh, you're a good boy," she replied, patting his cheek. "I'll help you in the kitchen."

As soon as they were alone, Christopher lifted his cast up and said to Buck, "Do you like it?"

"I do, it's awesome," Buck said, smiling down at him. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Dad said I was really brave."

"I bet you were. You're not in any pain?"

He shook his head. "They gave me a shot."

"That's good." Buck pulled him into his arms again. "I'm sorry this happened, buddy."

"I just wanted to be brave like you and Dad," he said.

"You are brave. Christopher, you survived a tsunami – you're the bravest kid I've ever met," he replied, holding him at arms' length. "And you did that without me or your Dad. You've got this. You don't need to be scared to tell us anything."

Christopher nodded at him, tears filling his eyes. "Maybe I feel bad," he admitted, screwing his face up. "Because my friends don't like me anymore. What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing," Buck reassured him, glancing over to where Eddie was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, listening. "Hey – friends who abandon you at the drop of a hat aren't real friends. I know it's hard and I know it hurts, but you will get through this, okay?"

Eddie joined them, kneeling on the floor, gazing up at Christopher seriously. "I'm going to talk to your teacher and the principal tomorrow to decide what to do," he said. "If you want to change classes, we could do that, but buddy – that kid, Rodney? They're going to expel him. So you won't have to worry about him anymore."

"Do I have to go to school tomorrow?" he asked hesitantly.

Eddie shook his head. "I think a broken arm entitles you to a day of pampering from your Abuela. Now come on, you two – I've prepared a beautiful feast for us."

"You've prepared," Buck scoffed. "More like the line cooks at the Cheesecake Factory prepared and put it in a container for you."


	2. Chapter 2

Buck was curled up in bed with a book when Eddie joined him after his shower, pulling on his shirt and shorts. He examined his reflection in the mirror for a few moments, and when Buck said, "Moisturise," he groaned.

"I don't think it does anything."

"It keeps your skin nice and supple." Buck tucked a pillow under his head, trying to focus on his book. "Do you know that when the whaling ships would stop at the Galapagos on the way to the Pacific, they would take the tortoises from the islands and let them roam around the decks of the ships? They were a source of food. Those poor fucking tortoises could live for months without any food of their own until they were killed and eaten. It makes me so mad."

"Why are you reading it?" Eddie asked.

"It's interesting." Buck turned the page, chewing on his lower lip. "And like, the way they killed the whales is just unbelievably cruel. I mean, what a job these men had to do – live on a ship for _months_ , and kill whales just to harvest the blubber? They had to go inside the carcass to scoop the blubber out. I mean I just… it blows my mind."

"Again, why are you reading this?"

"I want to read about them sinking and all starving to death, which I personally think was a comeuppance for the whale and tortoise murdering in the first place."

"Like a divine intervention sort of a thing?"

"Yeah, like this one plucky whale was like, you know what? I've had enough of this shit, so I'm going to sink you assholes. They're fucking big, you know. Sperm whales. _Massive._ " Buck paused thoughtfully. "We should take Christopher whale watching. Find out when the season is in San Fran and head up there for it."

"Sure." Eddie smoothed the last of the moisturiser across his forehead and went to the bed, flopping down beside Buck. "I cancelled our accommodation. I'm really sorry, baby. I really wanted to go."

"We'll go another time; Catalina's not going anywhere." Buck was focused on his book, his brow furrowed. "I mean, I just can't get over the cruelty of these people."

Eddie reached out his hand, covering the page, and said, "I wanted our first Valentine's Day together to be special."

Buck leaned in and said, "I don't care about Valentine's Day, like, at all."

"What? I wanted it to be romantic."

He shrugged. "You can be romantic any day with me and it'll be special… Eds, every day is Valentine's Day, if you think about it."

Eddie let out a laugh, gazing up at him adoringly. "Okay."

"And besides, he needs us, so… we'll have our moment, but right now he needs us."

"Yeah, he does." Eddie reached out a hand, running his fingers through Buck's hair. "Okay."

Buck leaned down to kiss him, and just as their lips met, he had a sudden thought and pulled away. "Hold up – I wonder if we can whale watch _now?_ "

"Buck," Eddie groaned, but Buck was already out of bed, grabbing the iPad off the dresser. He crawled in again, lying on his stomach, and began his search.

Eddie watched him, before picking up his book and reading a page, his face scrunching up. "Ugh, god, this is awful."

"Yeah, it's gross. Okay. We can go this weekend – I've booked us for Sunday, it goes for two and a half hours. So I'm thinking… Friday we leave early to get to the magic beach by lunch, spend a couple of hours there and then proceed to Monterey… I'll book us a hotel…" he trailed off, studying Google Maps intently. "We'll take the coast road, I think, and… yeah, okay. First night Monterey, then two nights in San Fran, and drive home on Monday – how does that sound, babe?"

"You're such a good fiancé."

Buck preened a bit, and murmured, "I know. Just going to find… hey, maybe we should get something with two bedrooms, so you can show me a good time on Valentine's Day, hot stuff – y'know, seeing as how you want to do it up right and all."

"How about you find something quickly and get over here and show me a good time," Eddie replied, marking Buck's page in the book and then tossing it on the floor. "Because I've had a shit day, and I need some cheering up."

Buck took Eddie's hand and pressed it to his lips. "He's the strongest kid I've ever met," he said, still studying the screen, searching for a good deal. "Smart and strong. We'll figure out what to do about the school – maybe it's a class change, I don't know – but we'll sort it out, and he'll be okay. I remember what it was like, with my bully… it was horrible and my parents didn't care. You've got nothing to feel guilty for, you know? You've known something was up, and it's just… bad luck that it happened before we could take any more steps." He glanced at Eddie, and found him swallowing hard, his eyes shiny with tears. "Babe, this is not your fault."

"I know. I know bad things happen and I can't control it, and this isn't going to be the last time that he faces an obstacle. I just wish he'd felt like he could tell us." A tear escaped, and he brushed it away, screwing his face up. "I just… don't want him to bottle things up."

"I think the problem is that he's an optimist," Buck replied quietly. "So he was hoping it would get better, and it didn't. That's my theory."

"Well, I'm not an optimist. I could've had this sorted weeks ago."

"Or… the school could've messed around, and the same damn thing could've happened," he pointed out. "The kid has been expelled – Christopher is safe now. Whether his friends come back to him or not… that's for him to decide. At some point, you need to give him the space to figure out what he wants and how to live his life. You know?"

"Are you accusing me of helicoptering my _child_?" Eddie asked, a little tartly, arching an eyebrow.

Buck grinned at him. "No, but I know you want everything to be perfect all the time and it's just not. That's not how it works."

"I like when things are running smoothly."

"Yeah, because you're a bit of a control freak, but that's okay." Buck leaned in to press a kiss to his lips. "I like it. I bring the chaos."

"You're not as chaotic as you think you are." Eddie licked his lips, glancing at the iPad. "Book us a place in San Fran with two bedrooms. An apartment."

"So you can ravage me."

"Yeah, pretty much." He slipped down onto his stomach as well, burrowing against Buck's shoulder until he lifted his arm and wrapped it around him, moving the iPad so it was between them. They picked out an apartment and Buck booked it, and then found a cosy cottage in Carmel. As soon as it was booked Eddie took the iPad from him, turned it off, and shifted so he was on his back with Buck leaning over him. "I promise you and I are going to get some time alone."

"We're alone right now."

"Yeah, but… don't you miss when… we used to have your apartment to sneak back to?"

Buck smiled. "Sometimes, but I prefer this. It's okay, Eds. Spending the weekend with you and Christopher makes me happy. We do have to see Maddie and Chim on Thursday night; I told them we'd come over and bring some food."

"Okay," he agreed, running his fingers down Buck's cheeks. "So you can get some quality niece time."

"That's right. She's got to pick a favourite uncle and it's definitely going to be me."

"Of course it is, Albert doesn't stand a chance," he said loyally.

"That's right." Buck dropped his head, brushing their noses together, and kissed him lightly. "Are you okay after today?" he asked quietly. "I was worried about you."

"I'm really fucking angry."

"Yeah, I know. And you'll talk to them tomorrow and figure out what to do."

Eddie slid his hands up and down Buck's back and murmured, "Thanks for taking over today."

"You needed to go to the hospital."

A fleeting smile crossed his face. "It's nice to have a partner again, for this kind of stuff. Like… doing it on my own was tough, but now I have you… I can depend on you."

"That's kinda the idea." Buck smiled down at him. "Marriage and all that, I guess."

"Yeah, that's probably what it's about."

"Also talking about stuff and making out and doing laundry, as well."

"Laundry's extremely important," Eddie agreed, looking happier than he had all day. "I can't wait to marry you. I'm going to be so much better at it this time."

He brushed his lips over Eddie's again, and said, "It's different. You're older."

"And I'm in love. That's important."

"I know you loved her."

"Not like this." Eddie ran his finger over Buck's birthmark and murmured, "Maybe I don't say it enough, but this is different. You and me. And I knew it would be, when… I was deciding whether I should ask you out. I knew it was a risk; I knew there was a chance we could mess up our friendship, but I just had a feeling we wouldn't."

Buck moved so he was on his side, pressed up against Eddie, resting his head on his shoulder. Eddie's hand dropped into his hair and twisted in his curls.

"I think I loved Shannon, but it wasn't like this. And I feel guilty about that."

"You can't change the past now."

"No." Eddie pressed his lips to his forehead. "Nope."

"She'd hate me."

He snorted and said, "Yeah. Maybe. Actually, she might've been all right with it. I don't really know. I think… she always knew that I wasn't… everything I said I was."

Buck looked up at him. "What does that mean?"

"Hiding the fact that I liked guys, for one."

"So there were guys before me."

Eddie let out a huff of laughter. "I mean, yeah, I noticed guys."

"You noticed me when you first joined the 118."

"I noticed you noticing me."

"Well, what was I supposed to do? The hottest guy I'd ever seen is standing there with his shirt off, and Bobby's singing your praises and I thought, well, fuck, they're not gonna need me anymore. Fuckin' Captain America over here."

Eddie was shaking with laughter. "Your face. I'll never forget it."

"I'll never forget how you looked putting that shirt on. Wishing I could take it off you." He slid his hand up underneath Eddie's shirt, over his smooth stomach. _All mine now._

"Here's a question – if I'd propositioned you that first week, would you have gone for it?"

Buck looked up at him sharply. "You wanted to?"

"I wouldn't have," he clarified. "But yeah, I wanted to."

He thought back to when Eddie first started, about how he was still hung up on Abby… if Eddie had propositioned him, would he have said yes? "I probably would've turned you down out of loyalty to Abby and then spent the next few weeks regretting it until I finally hit you up about it again, and you said yes."

Eddie smirked. "I would've rocked your world."

"You have rocked my world." Buck checked the time and said, "You could rock it tonight, if you wanted to."

"I just want to get you alone somewhere, unscheduled, and just…" he trailed off, licking his lips.

"Pound me like you really want to, huh?"

"God, you're romantic."

"Yeah, I must've picked it up from you."

**~*~*~*~**

**Hen**

"She's beautiful," Hen said, carefully placing Charlotte back in her crib. "You two have done an amazing job."

"Thank you," Chimney and Maddie replied, exchanging a smug look. They both looked exhausted but happy, and she was thrilled for them.

"Let's have a cup of coffee before you go," Chimney suggested, grabbing the baby monitor from the changing table.

Hen followed them downstairs to the kitchen, settling into a seat at the table while Chimney organised the coffee. Maddie yawned widely, covering her mouth with her hand, and said, "Actually, I might take a nap. Is that okay? I'm not being rude?"

"Maddie, you had a baby two weeks ago – go get some sleep," Hen ordered, and Maddie flashed a grateful smile. "Go on."

"I'm sorry," she said. "I don't know how I'm going to cope when Chim goes back to work in a few weeks."

"Bobby's already working it so he doesn't have to work any overnights," she replied. "And you have support – lots of support. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it."

Maddie nodded, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand. "You know, the best decision I ever made was to follow Buck to Los Angeles."

"I'm sure Buckaroo would agree with you on that one." Chimney leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. "Go on. Have a nap. You won't miss anything but work gossip." Maddie left them, yawning again. Chimney placed a mug in front of Hen and took the seat across from her, raising his eyebrows. "Tell me _everything._ "

She laughed, and then ran through the most mundane things first – everyone was well, she was still working with Mary and they were getting along, but she was looking forward to having Chimney back full time. She had some mild gossip about two warring firefighters on second shift, and she'd heard through the grapevine that Lena Bosko was dating one of the women from the 122, but she didn't have any more information about that.

And then Chimney asked, "And how are the boys? We thought we would've seen more of Buck."

"He's been working non-stop," she replied, hesitating to fill him in. "Things aren't great."

He looked concerned. "Why not?"

"Bobby's still pissed about the whole pot brownie thing. Buck's been working extra shifts to make up for it, and they had it out the other day."

"Jeez," Chimney murmured. "Why isn't Bobby letting this go?"

"My theory is that Bobby's projecting some of his own issues onto Buck. They had a talk the other day and things seemed to have calmed down, but honestly Chim, I'm worried. "

"Worried why? If they get this under control, things will go back to normal."

Hen shrugged. "Just the way the boys were looking at each other, like… I don't know. Like there have been discussions outside of work and they're trying to figure out what to do. Maybe they're thinking of transferring stations – I don't know."

"Transferring stations?" His voice raised an octave.

"It's just a theory – they haven't said anything," she replied, quick to reassure him. "Calm down. I don't think they'll go anywhere."

He nodded thoughtfully, folding his arms across his chest. "Do you think Bobby is too hard on Buck?"

"One hundred percent, and I've said as much to him. I think Bobby wants Buck to be… more like Eddie," she said. "Eddie's cool in a crisis, he doesn't show a lot of emotion and he works hard."

"Yeah, but Buck is all of those things as well."

"He's not cool in a crisis. Not when it's one of us in danger. He wears his heart on his sleeve." She paused, and then said, "But actually – maybe he's growing out of it? You heard about Christopher, right?"

Chimney winced. "Yeah, Buck called Maddie yesterday to tell her."

"Buck was cool, calm and collected and kept Eddie in line," she replied. "I think we were all worried that Eddie was going to storm into the school and demand the other kid's head on a stake, but he didn't. Buck stayed behind and dealt with the school while Eddie went to the hospital. I said to Bobby when we got back to the station that he needs to ease up a bit, that Buck's life has changed in the last six months – he's gone from being on his own to being a fiancé and a stepfather, like… it's a lot."

"But he loves it."

She nodded emphatically, sipping her coffee. "God, he loves it. Does he ever. That boy was put on this earth to be a husband and father – Eddie's a lucky man." She paused, pursing her lips, and murmured, "I really don't want them to leave."

"They won't," he replied, shaking his head. "Buck and Bobby fight but they get over it."

"I don't know; it feels different. They're not talking all that much right now."

"Well, maybe we need to get everyone together in a looser environment, talk things out," he said, and raised an eyebrow at her. "Bachelor party."

Hen screwed her face up with disgust. "A bachelor party? Do you think either Buck or Eddie want that?"

"Why wouldn't they? A party is a party and they're getting married to each other, so we should have a big party. And you and I should plan it as a surprise."

"No strippers."

Chimney paused, and then murmured, "I mean, I don't even know what gender we'd get. Male or female? Both? Do you think you can get a stripper combo deal?"

"Somehow I think they'd both be horrified." Hen tapped her nails on the cup and said thoughtfully, "A big party though, because maybe we weren't… as supportive as we could've been."

"I apologised," he said defensively.

"You were just surprised they hid it for so long."

"And lied about Buck having a secret boyfriend." Chimney sipped his coffee, rolling his shoulders. "Okay. We're having a bachelor party for them. I'll find a venue."

"You're taking charge of this," she said dryly, raising her eyebrows. "You, the man who just had a baby, is going to plan a bachelor party for the boys."

"Hey, I can multi-task."

"If you can, this is the first I'm hearing about it."

**~*~*~*~**

After spending the evening with Maddie and Chimney for some quality baby time – and to give them the mural from Sophia for the baby's room, a collection of cute and cuddly farm animals that caused Maddie to burst into tears – they set out for Big Sur at around 7am on the Friday morning, swinging into Buck's deli to pick up some breakfast before heading out of the city.

Eddie was driving Buck's jeep, and Buck was searching through the music on his phone. "I didn't make a playlist," he murmured, scratching his head. "I ran out of time."

"Just put it on shuffle."

"No, it's got to be perfect."

Eddie chuckled. "Whatever you want, dear."

"Thank you, honey." Christopher giggled from the backseat, and Buck shot him a look. "Hey, what do you want to listen to?"

"Beach Boys."

"Beach Boys. Easy."

Eddie sipped his coffee and kept his eyes on the road while Buck fiddled with the music. As the miles grew further between them and Los Angeles, he felt more relaxed and at ease, the soothing sounds of the Beach Boys filling the car. They stopped at Pismo Beach for a photo opportunity and to use the bathrooms before heading north to the magic beach, rolling in around two in the afternoon.

Eddie wrapped up Christopher's cast in a plastic bag and let him and Buck explore, sprawling out on a blanket with his sunglasses on, soaking up the sun. Hardly anyone was around – another family was at the other end of the beach, and of course Buck waved and said hello to them, stopping to chat with the dad while Christopher explored a tide pool.

Eddie liked to just _watch them_ sometimes. It was almost as if Christopher was Buck's kid as well. They were so natural together, so in tune. Buck always had one eye on Christopher, even if he was talking to someone, and as soon as Christopher called to him, he was parting ways with the family and joining him down by the water.

Sometimes he felt guilty about moving on so easily after Shannon's death. He often thought about what she'd think of him and Buck – he wasn't sure she'd be happy about it. About having Buck raise Christopher, about him being with a man – all of it. He felt guilty about his happiness and how easy it was to be in a relationship with Buck. It was no effort at all. They argued sometimes, about stupid stuff, but they never had knock-out fights like he and Shannon did. He'd spent his whole first marriage in a constant state of tension, never happy, always walking on eggshells.

This was different. They both wanted the same things – a family, stability, love, support. They were good at communicating – _he_ was better at communicating now than he had ever been before, and he credited that to therapy, but also Buck's willingness to sit back and let him make the first move, rather than demanding anything of him.

He thought he'd known love before, but he was wrong. He thought marriage and relationships were meant to be something that needed a lot of work and constant effort, but there was nothing hard or difficult about being with Buck. And sometimes he worried that maybe Buck was too easy-going, that maybe Eddie was dictating things, but then he'd catch Buck looking at him with the softest, fondest expression on his face and he thought maybe he was doing something right after all.

He watched Buck swing Christopher up into his arms easily and start back up the beach towards him. Christopher couldn't use his crutches while his arm was in a cast, so they were extra mindful of him. Buck helped Christopher down onto the sand in front of the blanket, pulled his hat down lower on his head and said, "All right dude, best sandcastle you can make in an hour – go."

Christopher grabbed his bucket and pail and set to work. "You have to get wet sand for me," he said to Buck, who gave an exaggerated groan. "Buck! It won't work without wet sand!"

"All right, all right," Buck complained good-naturedly, bending down to press a quick kiss to Eddie's lips. "How are you doing over here, old man? Nice and comfy?"

"Old man," Eddie complained, swiping lazily at Buck. "Go away."

Buck grinned at him, dropping down onto his knees on the blanket. "Tired?"

"Yeah, a bit."

"We'll let Picasso over here build his sandcastle and then we'll go check into our Airbnb." Buck lay down on his side, propping himself up with his elbow, gazing out at the water. The blue of the ocean was reflected in his eyes, and he let out a chuckle when Eddie snuggled up against him. "Hi."

"Hey." Eddie tucked his head against Buck's chest and let out a sigh. "This is nice."

"Nice to get away. Imagine three weeks in Hawaii, Eds."

"Yeah, we've got to talk about that, because you're being very cagey about the details."

"I've got it all planned. We've got a couple of days in Waikiki, just to acclimate us to island life," Buck began loftily, "and then – you're going to love this – we're doing a seven-day cruise around the islands—"

"Oh my god, a _cruise?_ "

"Yes, a cruise," he said smugly, " _because_ every single day has a stop, so every single day we are off the ship, and we're only on the ship to sleep. And then we have four days on Maui, but I'm not telling you where we're staying, and then after that we fly to Kauai and have another four days there. Again, not telling you where we're staying, because that's the surprise."

"You've done all of this and I passed off everything to Sophia," he complained, feeling like a failure. "Man."

"You had the harder job, though, and I'll be honest Eds, I didn't want to plan the wedding. Sophia knows what we want. I just want to organise the music."

"That's definitely your job."

Buck grinned. "And I need to decide if Bobby is going to be my best man or if I'm going to dump him and do it alone."

Eddie looked up at him sharply. "You're serious?"

"Yep."

"Let's not make any rash decisions. He's given us this weekend off – things should start to improve. It's still _Bobby._ "

"Yeah, but Bobby doesn't seem too interested in talking to me or… anything, lately," Buck murmured. "I think… I ruined our friendship."

"You didn't ruin anything," Eddie objected. "Hey – this isn't you, or me. He's the one with the problem. We both know that."

"But I keep making mistakes."

"You don't," he said firmly, reaching up to touch Buck's cheek, turning his head so they could make eye contact. "Hey, my love – I make mistakes."

"Not the ones I do."

"I did the stupidest thing of all, didn't I?" he asked quietly. "I cut the line and nearly got myself killed. I nearly killed a guy at—"

"Fight club."

"Yeah, fight club," he repeated, rolling his eyes, glancing over to make sure Christopher wasn't listening. "I got arrested."

"And he forgave you for all of those things," Buck pointed out, "and I'm still on probation."

"Honestly? He sees himself as a father figure for you. You told me what it was like when you first joined, how you two bonded really quickly – and I know what your relationship with your dad is like. I know Bobby filled a hole for you. The problem is that he lets his personal concern for you get in the way, and then he over-corrects. It's still Bobby, and I don't think he's a bad guy. He's just not a great captain to you sometimes."

"I know I made mistakes when I first started, I know I was impulsive and reckless, and… full of myself. Thought I was untouchable. But it's three years later and it's like I'm still tarnished with the same brush; that I can't escape it – that everything I've done in the meantime has all been for nothing, because any time I show a hint of emotion it's like the end of the world and he doesn't trust me anymore. I feel weak," he admitted, and then screwed his face up. "I feel like a failure."

Eddie sat up, casting a quick look at Christopher, and then said with conviction, "You're _not._ "

"I am. Nothing matters."

"Oh, baby," he murmured, letting out a breath. "Listen – you don't need to prove yourself to anyone. You are enough, okay? You're a great firefighter. You're a natural; you were born to do it."

Buck swallowed hard. "You really think so?"

"Why do you think I wanted you on my team on day one?" he asked. "I didn't choose you because I thought you were hot, you know. I chose you because you're the best, and I wanted to work with the best. I know you're having a hard time right now, and if things don't start to improve… I say we see what else is out there, and then decide what we want to do. If Bobby isn't the right fit anymore, maybe something else will be better."

"I'll be ending my friendship with him."

"You might just be saving it, actually," Eddie replied, as Christopher called for Buck. "Here you go – the kid needs water; you better go fetch it."

Buck seemed to shake off his dark mood. He leaned in and kissed Eddie quickly, and then leapt to his feet. "Water, sir?" he asked Christopher, who held out a pail. "Coming right up."

~~

Their Airbnb in Carmel was a quaint little cottage a couple of blocks from the beach. Christopher had his own room with a double bed, which he was very excited about, and there was a small patio off the kitchen with a table and chairs. Buck left Eddie and Christopher to sort out their stuff and went for a drive into town, searching for some food. He finally stumbled across a Mexican restaurant, thought it would do in a pinch, and went inside to order.

Half an hour later he returned, laden with bags of food from the owners who were too damn nice and kept giving him free things. Eddie's eyes lit up as they unpacked the bags, taking everything out to the patio to eat. The food was _delicious_ – Christopher kept making pleased 'mmmmm' noises as he devoured his burrito, and Eddie said, "We're stopping in on the way out of town to get more food."

Wiped out after dinner and a bath, Christopher was in bed before nine. Buck barely made it through a chapter of his story before he was asleep, breathing soundly, head tucked against the pillow. He flipped the lights off, left the door open a crack and wandered out to see what Eddie was doing.

"So," Eddie said, when Buck found him in the kitchen, "there's a spa bath. You want to have a spa with me?"

"Always," he replied, pulling his shirt over his head. "Lead the way."

"I've already got it ready," Eddie replied, grinning at him, and then stepped aside to reveal a bottle of sparkling wine on the counter. "And I snuck this in. It's not champagne, but it has bubbles."

"Are we celebrating something tonight, Diaz?"

"It's our romantic Valentine's getaway, so yeah, we're celebrating."

Buck followed him down the hall to the bathroom, where the spa in the corner of the room was filled with rose petals. He raised his eyebrows at Eddie, who shrugged innocently. "I don't know how that happened."

"You're going all out, wining and dining me," Buck commented, stripping out of his pants. "Making me put Chris to bed early."

"We've got a _spa_ ," Eddie replied pointedly, gesturing to it, his eyebrows raised. "I mean… we're gonna use it."

"How are we doing this?" Buck asked, having never been in a spa before.

Naked, Eddie checked the water temperature and then gracefully climbed in, settling against one side. He gestured for Buck to join him and so he did, sinking down into the warm water and leaning back against Eddie's chest. Eddie reached behind them and turned the bubbles on, and he let out a sigh, closing his eyes.

"This is nice."

Eddie stroked his arms and kissed his cheek, before reaching for the glasses of wine on the edge of the tub. He passed one to Buck and clinked them together. "Love you," he said softly.

Buck turned his head to reply, "Love you too," and smiled when Eddie leaned in to kiss him sweetly.

They downed their wine – it was better than Buck was expecting; he guessed Eddie had sprung for the $20 bottle instead of the $10 bottle – and he leaned back against Eddie's chest comfortably, his head on his shoulder. They were both silent, the only sound the bubbling jets, and Buck felt more relaxed than he had in weeks. He closed his eyes, letting his hands float on top of the water, and smiled when he felt Eddie slide his right hand down his arm to thread their fingers together.

"Hey," Eddie said in his ear. "I picked a song."

"Mmm?"

"You want to hear it?"

"You queued up music in here and everything?"

"Yeah, I stole your speaker. And I know you like to dig through your musical archives and find me something ancient and meaningful—"

"Ancient," Buck scoffed.

"But I heard this song on the radio the other day and it made me think of you." Eddie dried his hand on a towel and reached for his phone, pressing play on the song.

As the opening chords rang out, Buck smiled and leaned his head back against Eddie's shoulder, closing his eyes.

_Don't go changing to try and please me  
You never let me down before  
Don't imagine you're too familiar  
And I don't see you anymore_

_I wouldn't leave you in times of trouble  
We never could have come this far  
I took the good times; I'll take the bad times  
I'll take you just the way you are_

"Would you have picked this?" Eddie asked, running his hands up and down Buck's arms.

"Why?" Buck turned his head slightly, a smile playing on his lips.

"Just… wondering."

Buck thought for a moment, listening to the lyrics, and said, "I pick songs that explain how I feel about you – you picked this one because… it kind of fits, for me, right now. Doesn't it?"

"I know you've been unhappy at work."

"Yeah, but not unhappy anywhere else at all," Buck said emphatically. "In fact, extremely happy at home with you and Christopher."

"I feel like we're really nailing this relationship."

Buck laughed. "You're pretty good at the romance, Edmundo."

"You like the rose petals and everything?"

"I feel properly romanced."

_I need to know that you will always be  
The same old someone that I knew  
What will it take till you believe in me  
The way that I believe in you?_

_I said I love you and that's forever  
And this I promise from the heart  
I could not love you any better  
I love you just the way you are_

~

Buck was the driver the next morning, setting out from Carmel after a quick stop at the Mexican restaurant to pick up breakfast burritos. They headed along the coast road to San Francisco, stopping in at various beaches and beauty spots along the way. Buck documented the trip on his iPhone, snapping picture after picture of Eddie and Christopher to post on Instagram.

It was as they were driving into San Francisco that Christopher sat up in the backseat and asked, "Where… are we?"

"San Francisco," Eddie replied, turning around in the passenger seat to face him with a smile. "Guess what we're doing tomorrow?"

Christopher's eyes were huge. "What?"

"Whale watching," Eddie replied, and Christopher let out an ear-piercing squeal of joy.

Buck laughed, following the signs into the city. "Listen, I know it makes no sense because our hotel is right near Lombard Street—"

"I like that you assume I know what you're talking about."

"I've actually never been here before either," Buck replied, concentrating on the signs. "And I forgot to put the GPS on, but anyway – we're going to the Golden Gate Bridge first."

" _Cool_ ," Christopher said from the backseat.

"Yeah, cool." Buck glanced at him in the rear-view mirror.

Eddie was gazing out the window. "I've never been here either. Or… any further north than this."

"I went to Seattle when I was a kid. My dad was on business there and for some reason we went along. Maddie and I went to the top of the Space Needle; I thought it was pretty cool."

He had no idea if he was taking the most direct route, but he followed the signs until they rounded a corner and the Golden Gate Bridge came into view. Christopher oohed and aahed from the backseat as they drove onto the bridge, and it was as they were near the middle that Eddie said, somewhat evilly, "Remember when we watched _San Andreas_?"

"Oh god," Buck groaned. "Don't remind me."

"I'm just saying."

"Hopefully, there are no massive earthquakes during the next forty-eight hours."

~~

They found their hotel and checked in – it seemed a little pricier than Eddie would have liked, but when Buck flashed him an easy smile as he handed over his credit card, he figured it was worth it. He'd booked it because it had apartments with bedrooms, and sure enough their apartment, on the tenth floor, had a master bedroom overlooking the city and a second bedroom with a view of the neighbouring apartment building. Christopher flopped onto the bed, giggling, while Buck and Eddie sorted out their stuff. They decided to hit the town and explore, and Eddie swung Christopher up onto his back and followed Buck out of the hotel.

He decided he liked San Francisco, as they made their way loosely towards the water. Christopher exclaimed every so often, pointing something new out – usually a dog – and after about half an hour Eddie passed him over to Buck, who carried him on his back for a while. They found an ice creamery and stopped in, taking their cones down to seats near the water. Christopher had melted ice cream all over his face in no time, and Eddie was laughing as he tried to wipe it off.

Having eaten his cone in record time Buck stood, stretching him arms over his head, and looked around. "Nice city," he said, rolling his shoulders.

"Yeah, it is."

"Wonder what the stations are like here."

Eddie narrowed his eyes slightly. "Are you… thinking about moving?"

Buck laughed. "No? I was just wondering. I kinda hoped we'd walk past one."

"We could go look. Seen one firehouse, seen them all." Eddie tried not worry too much – there was no way Buck would want to leave his sister behind, and besides that, they had a whole support system in Los Angeles.

He couldn't shake the nagging fear, though, in the back of his mind, that if things really went south with Bobby, Buck would want to get as far away as possible.

~~

Buck was roused out of sleep by soft, tender kisses to his lips and cheeks. His eyes fluttered open, and he smiled when he found Eddie leaning over him, lightly kissing each exposed patch of skin he could find.

"Mmm."

"Morning."

Morning? It was still dark. "Mmm?"

"Happy Valentine's Day," Eddie whispered in his ear.

_Oh._ Buck smiled, opening his eyes again, and found Eddie gazing at him sweetly. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Thought I'd give you an early morning present."

"What's that?"

Eddie leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Me."

He let out a low rumble of laughter and murmured back, "Just what I've always wanted."

"We've got some time before Christopher wakes up," he said quietly, throwing the covers off, bending down to kiss Buck's left nipple. "And I'm ready for you."

Buck shifted so he was sitting further up the bed, watching as Eddie dropped kisses all over his chest and stomach. He'd opened the blinds and the light from the city was streaming into the room, casting a glow, as the sky outside slowly lightened with the impending dawn.

Eddie leaned back in to kiss him again, sucking his tongue and lower lip. Buck grabbed his hips and rolled him onto his back, sliding on top, ignoring Eddie's murmured protests. "You said that you're my present," he reminded him, "so I get to decide how this goes."

"I might have some suggestions—"

Buck silenced him with a kiss, pushing his legs apart. He was still wearing his sweats, but Eddie was naked beneath him, and he gave a whine of protest as Buck began to rut against him.

Desperate hands scrabbled down his back, hooking in the waistband of his pants. Buck quickly grabbed his wrists and pushed his hands up and over his head, ignoring a much more pointed whine from Eddie. He kissed him languidly, unhurriedly, holding him in place, grinning against his lips as Eddie writhed beneath him.

"You want?" Buck murmured, lifting his head slightly. "You're ready?"

"I got ready for you."

Buck pulled away from him, sitting back on his knees between Eddie's splayed legs. His cock was hard, leaking from the tip. Eddie propped himself up on his elbows and watched, breathing hard through his mouth.

"Been a while," Buck said, sliding his hands down his thighs. "You sure?"

"Yep." Eddie smiled at him. "I want to ride you."

"Oh, really, that's interesting…" Buck bent down to lick a stripe up his inner thigh, stopping right below his cock. Eddie reached down as if to touch himself and groaned when Buck pushed his hand away. "Let me do something first, all right?"

"All right," Eddie agreed. "How do you want me?"

"Just the way you are," Buck teased him, and he rolled his eyes. "Where's the lube?"

Eddie grabbed it off the nightstand and tossed it to him. He watched as Buck stripped out of his sweats and poured some lube on his fingers, slicking them up. Eddie tucked a pillow under his head and watched, waiting patiently, a flush of red creeping down his chest.

"You look gorgeous," Buck said to him, stroking himself, raking his eyes over Eddie's naked body. "Seriously, Eds, the most beautiful man I've ever seen in my life."

Eddie was usually embarrassed by effusive praise, but he simply smiled at Buck, sliding a hand down his chest. "It's all for you."

"I'm a lucky man." Buck kissed his knee, still palming his cock with his hand.

"Will you still find me handsome in twenty years when everything is hairy and sagging?"

Buck grinned. "You're going to age like fine wine, my love," he said gently, and leaned down to kiss him, sliding his hand down between Eddie's legs.

It was early, and he wanted to go slow, propping one of Eddie's legs around his hip, bent at the knee, making love to him as sunlight began to brighten the room. Eddie's eyes were closed as they kissed, his hands casting aimlessly up and down Buck's back, tossing his head every so often and letting out heavy sighs.

He lulled Buck into a false sense of security before flipping the script, pushing him over onto his back and straddling his hips, planting one hand on Buck's chest before lowering himself down. "Ah," he said, grinning down at Buck. "This is what I wanted."

"I thought you were _my_ present," Buck replied, adjusting his hips.

"Yeah, but this just feels so fucking good." Eddie gave him a smug grin, and Buck laughed, smiling up at him.

"God, I love you."

"I know, baby. I love you too."

~

If Eddie was sore or tired after their early morning love-making he didn't show it – instead he muscled Buck into the shower, and once they were both clean, bounded across to the second bedroom to wake Christopher.

They ate breakfast at a pancake place near the harbour before boarding the boat for their whale watching adventure. Eddie had Christopher sit beside him, next to the railing, Buck across from them. Eddie had his arm around Christopher's shoulders, trying to answer his questions about San Francisco and whales while Buck snapped copious photos of them.

When their tour guide announced that there was a pod of whales in the harbour and that they would be able to see them soon, Christopher lit up with excitement. Eddie helped him stand up, holding onto the rail, and braced himself behind him so Christopher could lean back against him. Buck stood as well, leaning on the railing, phone at the ready, watching for any sign of life.

They searched the ocean for a few minutes and then Christopher shouted, "There!"

Sure enough, there was a blast of water about 100 yards to their left, a momentary flash of black, before an enormous tail lifted out of the water, pausing briefly, before whipping back down with a huge splash. Christopher cheered.

What followed was one of the best afternoons of Buck's life, as they followed the playful pod of whales around the harbour, watching as they splashed their tails, leapt out of the water and came crashing back down again, and blew water from their blowholes. Buck and Eddie exchanged exhilarated grins – he'd hoped they'd see at least one whale, but he hadn't been expecting a _show._

"That was incredible," Eddie said as they disembarked the boat, Christopher in his arms. "Did you like that, buddy?"

"It was _awesome._ "

"Time for some ice cream, yeah?" Eddie suggested, taking Buck's hand. "Ice cream and then maybe we check out the cable cars?"

"Sounds good to me," Buck agreed easily, trying to plan a way to sneak off to buy Eddie something cheesy for Valentine's Day – he already had another present tucked away, but he wanted to get him something dumb as well. It would look too obvious if he ducked off on his own, so he said to Eddie, "Hey, I need to go to the bathroom—"

"Me too!" Christopher exclaimed.

Eddie groaned. "Okay, okay. You guys go, and I'll get us some ice creams. Meet you over at a table near the water?"

"Done," Buck replied, taking Christopher out of his arms. "Come on, buddy." They left Eddie and headed over to the public bathrooms, and Buck said to Christopher confidentially, "We're going to be really quick, bud – I need to get your dad a present."

"A present? For what?"

"It's Valentine's Day."

Christopher nodded seriously. "Okay."

"We got this. You can help me pick something out." Buck bumped his fist against Christopher's and carried him into the bathrooms.

~~

Eddie was suspicious – they'd been gone for nearly fifteen minutes, and while he'd been held up in the ice cream parlour, he was now waiting for them at a table near the water with two melting bowls of ice cream.

Suddenly Buck appeared, Christopher on his back, jogging over to him from the direction of the bathrooms. "Sorry," he said breathlessly, settling Christopher onto the seat beside Eddie and leaning in to brush a kiss against his lips. "There was a huge line-up."

"That's okay," Eddie said, passing his ice cream across. "This okay?"

"It looks great." Buck smiled at him. Christopher already had ice cream around his mouth, and when Eddie saw a look pass between them, his suspicions were raised again. They were up to something, those two.

He half expected Christopher to blurt something out and spoil the surprise, but as the afternoon wore on, they were both tight-lipped. They went for a ride on the cable cars and then caught a cab to the Presidio to see the Yoda fountain, before finishing by taking an Uber to see the Painted Ladies. They sprawled out on the grass in the park across the street – Christopher had no real understanding of what the Painted Ladies were, but Eddie sang the _Full House_ theme song to them, remembering every single word. His sisters had been obsessed with it when they were kids, so Buck took selfies of the three of them with the houses in the background and added them to the group chat.

Adriana's response was almost instant. _NO. NO. YOU ARE NOT IN SAN FRANCISCO WITHOUT ME. NO._

Sophia's came through a second later – _Seriously you guys are the woooorst_

Eddie took a photo of Buck and Christopher smiling at each other, the orange glow of the sunset illuminating their faces, and added it to the chat as well.

Adriana replied, _You are stupidly in love with him Eddie this is ridiculous stop being so tender GROSS_

Buck glanced over at him with a smile. "What's up?"

"My sisters are unhappy." Eddie pocketed his phone, reclining on the grass. "What are we having for dinner?"

"Pizza," Christopher replied instantly.

"Seafood," Buck said instead, and Christopher groaned. "Come on kiddo, you'll love it."

"I bet I won't."

Eddie laughed, reaching out to ruffle Christopher's hair. "We'll just have to see about that."

~

They found a seafood restaurant down by the water and had a feast – for all of his prior complaining, Christopher devoured everything that was put in front of him as long as it was coated with batter and he could dip it in ketchup. He went into a food coma after, and then went to sleep on Buck's shoulder as they walked back to their hotel. They tucked him into bed together, and Eddie stayed in his room for a while, making sure his bag was packed and ready to go.

When he emerged, Buck was showered and lying on the too-small couch, his feet dangling over the edge. Eddie padded over to him, bending over for a quick kiss, intent on having his own shower, but laughed when Buck pulled him down onto his lap. "All right, all right. I stink."

"You smell good to me." Buck smiled up at him. "Good Valentine's Day?"

"Yeah, the best. The best one I ever had, actually." Eddie patted Buck's stomach and rose to his feet. "I'll just shower and then we'll go to bed, okay?"

"Okay."

He was in and out of the bathroom in no time, pausing at the mirror to apply moisturiser, before heading out to the bedroom. He let himself in, wearing only his sweatpants, and paused when he found Buck sprawled out on the bed, a stuffed toy holding a heart placed strategically in front of his groin.

Eddie tried not to smile but couldn’t help himself. "What the hell is that?"

"It's an elephant." Buck looked smug.

"When did you buy that?"

"While you were buying ice cream."

He took a step closer, tilting his head to the side. "Is there a reason you chose an elephant – are you trying to insinuate something about the size—"

Looking panicked, Buck exclaimed, "No! Your son picked it out! We were in a rush!"

Eddie burst out laughing. "Okay, okay."

Buck tossed the elephant to him and said, "Happy Valentine's Day, sexy. Now come over here and unwrap your real present."

"It looks pretty unwrapped to me," Eddie said, eyeing his naked body.

"That's not it," Buck replied, and held up a small envelope.

Eddie sat on the side of the bed, taking the envelope out of his hands. "Should I be worried, or…"

"Nah, I think you'll like it, but it will take some explaining to everyone else." Buck rolled onto his back, tucking his hands under his head.

Eddie glanced at him again and then ripped the envelope open, pulling out the small card inside. He opened it and found a silver bar stuck to the inside, with a silver ball on each end – he ran his thumb over it, confused. "Are you getting your ear pierced?"

Buck shook his head and tapped his chest. "If you want me to, I'll do it."

Eddie was hot all over, instantly. "You'd pierce your nipple for me?"

"Yeah, why not? It seems to really turn you on," Buck teased, poking him in the arm. "I thought I'd clear it with you first before I actually did it."

He touched the bar again, swallowing hard. "Yes, please."

"Okay. We'll go next week so you can watch." Buck smiled up at him.

"What are we going to tell Chris?"

He shrugged. "Just… that I wanted to get a piercing? He doesn't have to know why."

Eddie nodded, lying down on the bed beside him so his head was on his shoulder. He held up the bar, letting out a long breath. "You're going to look so fucking hot."

"I have no idea why this turns you on so much, but I like it."

"I don't know," he practically mumbled.

"Tell me."

"I just think it's hot. Tattoos and piercings on guys… I've always thought it was hot." He glanced up at him uncertainly. "Blame the Backstreet Boys."

"The _Backstreet Boys_?!"

"Yeah… when I was 13, I went to a concert with my sisters and… one of the guys…" he trailed off. "That's the first time I can remember being attracted to a guy, and he had tattoos and piercings… and I always liked it. I just always liked it."

"Do you want me to play you some Backstreet Boys songs?" Buck asked seriously, snickering when Eddie gave him a playful push.

"I was taken to the concert against my will," he protested. "Not because I was into the Backstreet Boys."

"What were you into?"

"I don't know. I didn't really care too much about music until you came along." He examined the bar again and murmured, "But I really like your music."

"It's our music." Buck pushed his fingers through Eddie's hair. "Are you excited to see me get my nipple pierced?"

"Yeah, maybe we should get another tattoo while we're there."

"Mmm, a sunflower for you."

"No," he objected, shoving Buck again, who was clearly in a shit-stirring kind of a mood. "Just some kind of symbol or something. Something small. On our ribs."

"Okay," Buck agreed easily. "Sounds good. You love marking me up, don't you?"

He grinned. "If I could write my name all over you, I would."

"It's already on my wrist," Buck said, holding his arm out.

Eddie grinned, running his fingers over the ink. "Yeah, it's nice."

"I like having your name on me," Buck murmured.

"Me too." Eddie held up his hand as well. "We should tattoo our wedding rings."

"That'd be the easiest thing." Buck suddenly pulled him in close, pressing kisses to his face. "I love you so much. So fucking much."

Eddie closed his eyes, curling his fingers in Buck's hair. "Mmm, I love you too. I can't wait to make you Mr Diaz."

"I waited my whole life to be part of something special," Buck said in his ear. "This is all I've ever wanted."

"You are all I've ever wanted," he replied seriously. "I'm going to do things right this time around. I'll be the best husband. Sure, I can't cook worth a damn, but I'll blow your mind in the bedroom."

"Yeah, I'm going to hold you to that, right now."

~~

The following Friday afternoon, they had an appointment at their favourite tattoo parlour. Buck was first, taking a seat in the chair, handing over the barbell to Amy, their tattoo artist. It hurt more than he would've liked, but Eddie held his hand while the barbell was inserted into his left nipple.

"There," Amy said with satisfaction. "Easy as."

Buck looked up at Eddie, whose face was flushed. "You like?"

"Yep." He sounded a little strained.

He grinned, and said to her, "He wanted this."

"I can tell," she remarked. "Okay, boys. Let's get you inked."

Buck shifted so he was on his side with his arm over his head, smiling at Eddie, who was watching from Amy's side. It took her no time at all to finish the small design and he was hopping off the table, briefly kissing Eddie before he slipped his shirt off and took his turn. Once he was done, they stood across from each other, examining the small, complimenting tattoos – a sun for Buck, and the moon and the stars for Eddie.

"What's the significance?" Amy asked, stripping her gloves off. "You guys always want to be matching."

"He's my sunshine," Eddie said, pulling his shirt back on, "and my sister told me that Buck always looks at me like I hung the moon, so… I did."

"You guys are super fucking sappy," she remarked. "Cute, though. Just don't break-up."

"We get married in five months," Eddie replied, slipping his arm around Buck's waist. "This is forever."

"Ugh, you two. Get out of here with this disgusting display of togetherness."

~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to SevenSoulmates and CNomad for reassuring me on this one, _again._ 💖
> 
> [Billy Joel - Just the Way You Are](https://youtu.be/tJWM5FmZyqU)
> 
> Find me @ Tumblr: [woodchoc-magnum](https://woodchoc-magnum.tumblr.com/)


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